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Build a Meaningful Life & Career

4-class Virtual Series

Powered by Western Alumni and Careers & Experience

May 9, 10, 17 and 18

6 to 8 p.m. ET


You may be thinking

“How do I get started?"

You might be wondering

"What do I want to do with the rest of my life?"

How many times were you asked

"What will you do when you graduate?"


What if you had permission to flip the script?

It’s not about the job you want…it’s about the problems you want to help solve. It’s not about finding your passion…it’s about designing a life you love.

Built on the Life Design framework from Stanford University, and using key principles from design thinking, this free masterclass will help you think differently about your future and give you the tools to address the wicked challenges of life and vocational wayfinding.

Using the Life Design method to design your career will result in more ideas, more creativity, less anxiety about the future, and more confidence in your ability to build the life you choose.

Whether you have just graduated or have been out for a few years, you will find value in time spent imagining – and planning – your next steps.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Format

Join us for four 2-hour live Zoom classes. You will get the most out of this program by attending all four classes.

Blended Learning

In between the Zoom classes, you’ll be asked to spend up to 1 additional hour completing personal assignments that will solidify your learning and prepare you for the next class.

Takeaways

The program includes the development of a Personal Odyssey Plan. You’ll leave with concrete and exciting ideas you can implement right away. You’ll also be connected to a Life Design team for support now and in the future.



Course topics


Introduction: You Are Here
  • Workview & Lifeview
  • The Life Design Framework
  • Thinking Like a Designer

Marketplace Realities
  • Passion vs. Meaning
  • Degree-Career Linkage
  • Planning

Ideation and Radical Collaboration
  • Challenges You Want to Solve
  • Ideas for Your Future
  • Choosing well & Moving On

A Well-Designed Life
  • Prototyping Your Plan
  • Curating Your Team
  • Learning & Unlearning



Meet your Life Design Team

Craig Ingram

Craig Ingram
Manager, Career Education

Craig believes in helping people “happen to life” rather than letting life happen to them. He is a believer in the power of relationships, authenticity and embracing one's passions and interests to develop a life and career that allows for maximal happiness & fulfilment. With a dynamic nature and passion for personal development, Craig has worked with students across Western for several years and has also worked in the talent acquisition & organizational development areas of various industries. Along with being a Certified Executive Coach and Personal Brand Strategist, Craig is a health & wellness enthusiast, an avid audiophile and he enjoys dancing (whether anyone is watching or not!).

Ann Ayinde

Ann Ayinde
Career Coach

Ann has a juicy mix of Career Coaching and HR experience in the financial services, consulting, oil & gas, non-profit and health sectors. An Accounting major and an MBA Graduate from the University of Plymouth, UK, Ann understands the pain points of international students as well as international professionals trying to break barriers within Canada. As a certified career strategist, Ann sees career development as a lifelong process of purposefully learning and growing, and believes that every individual has the capacity to positively influence the lives of those in their world. When Ann isn't coaching students, she can be found spending time with family and photographing nature at its finest.

David Feeney

David Feeney
Career Coach

David is a seasoned career development practitioner, assisting students in navigating a path to help them fulfill their career goals. Changing paths himself, after leaving Graduate School, David has a unique perspective on change and career design. Whether through the facilitation of workshops or one-on-one appointments, David is committed to creative career development and sees the career path as a multi-forked road. In his current role David helps support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in their journey toward a meaningful life and career. Film, theatre, cooking and reading are activities that help David recharge.

Sarah Dawson

Sarah Dawson
Director, Alumni Career & Lifelong Learning

Sarah is a veteran of creating and leading career programs who delights in working with growth-oriented people. She helps alumni find their zone and believes happiness comes when you can design a career that fits into your life, not the other way around. Sarah doesn’t claim to have all the answers, but loves the process and sharing tools to help people get organized, inspired and ready to design the life and career they want.

Steve Arsenault

Steve Arsenault
Alumni Engagement Officer

As a first-generation graduate, Steve is a passionate advocate for education and the pursuit of opportunity. While becoming a certified teacher, he fell in love with higher education and has supported university affairs throughout his professional career. Steve loves a good story, a good meal and a good playlist, but feels most alive travelling the world or exploring nature.


Careers & Experience

Careers & Experience helps student deepen their academic learning and actively plan for personal and professional growth through career education, experiential learning and employer networks. We foster connections between students and communities that empower students to discover their potential and design their future. Our vision is for all students to have the skills and confidence to successfully navigate their career paths, thoughtfully engage in communities and build a meaningful life. Careers & Experience supports new graduates up to a year after graduation.

Email us at careerexperience@uwo.ca

Western Alumni

Western Alumni works to continually demonstrate the strength of your degree, while delivering an alumni experience like no other. We aim to foster a relationship between alumni and Western, and among fellow alumni in networks around the world. Together we are working to realize our vision – to inspire all alumni to share a lifelong commitment, pride and passion for Western.

Email us at alumni@uwo.ca